Picking a flyer is the first big tame decision for most players, and the common mistake is asking “which is strongest” instead of “which one does the job I have right now.” The four flyers players argue about — Pteranodon, Argentavis, Quetzal, Wyvern — barely compete with each other because they do different things.
The task decides the flyer
- Scouting and quick travel early game: Pteranodon
- Hauling, smithing, and general work: Argentavis
- Carrying a base or a cannon: Quetzal
- Fighting anything in the air or on the ground: Wyvern
If you only tame one, tame the Argentavis — it covers more of these than anything else.
Pteranodon: the starter scout
The Pteranodon is the first flyer most players meet and the right one for it. Its base stats are the lowest of the group, but that barely matters when the job is scouting a coastline, grabbing a quick higher vantage, or crossing a gap before you have better gear. It does not scale into the late game — but nothing rhymes with “cheap and fast” for the early hours.
Tame one early, use it to find your real flyer, then retire it.
Argentavis: the all-round workhorse
The Argentavis is the king of the skies for practical work. Two traits define it: it has exceptional weight reduction for carried items, and it has a built-in smithy, so you can repair and craft gear mid-trip without returning to base. Its base stat line (roughly 365 health / 400 stamina / 400 carry weight) gives it real bulk, and it is the flyer you keep for the whole run.
Use it to move metal, carry tames, and serve as a mobile workshop. It is the flyer you keep using long after you own a Wyvern.
Quetzal: the flying platform
The Quetzal carries the highest weight of the group and, more importantly, takes a platform saddle — turning it into a flying base that can hold turrets, forges, and even another tamed creature. That makes it the only flyer that doubles as a siege platform. It is the counterpart to the Argentavis rather than a replacement for it.
Tame a Quetzal when you need to move a whole operation, not just yourself.
Wyvern: the combat king
The Wyvern is the undisputed top flyer for fighting — nothing else in the sky trades hits the way it does. Its health and damage let it out-trade anything in the air and melt most ground targets. The trade-off is that it is a late-game tame (you steal its egg rather than raise from a normal saddle) and it is a specialist: brilliant in a fight, useless as a hauler compared to an Argy.
Get a Wyvern when the job is killing, not carrying.
Quick comparison
| Flyer | Best at | Saddle and carry | Keep past mid-game? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pteranodon | Early scouting | Level 38 saddle, 120 carry | No — replace with Argy |
| Argentavis | Hauling + smithing | Level 62 saddle, 400 carry | Yes — permanent |
| Quetzal | Platform / transport | Takes a platform saddle, 800 carry | Yes — for big moves |
| Wyvern | Air and ground combat | 400 carry, tamed from a stolen egg | Yes — for fighting |
Which to tame first
Tame a Pteranodon on day one to move. Replace it with an Argentavis as soon as you can — that single swap unlocks metal runs, smithing on the move, and safe cross-map travel. Add a Quetzal when you need a platform, and a Wyvern when you need to win fights. The order is the strategy; the “best flyer” is whichever one is next on that list.
For the food each of these wants when you tame them, the kibble calculator maps the right tier instantly.